Sanjay Gandhi (December 14, 1946 –- June 23, 1980) was an Indian politician, the younger son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and politician Feroze Gandhi. A controversial figure, he was accused of abuses during the Emergency and died in an aeroplane crash shortly after his mother's return to power. He had been elected to the Parliament of India five months before his death. December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... This article is under construction. ... Feroze Gandhi (born 12 August 1912; died 8 September 1960) was an Indian politician and journalist of Parsi-Zoroastrian descent [1] He was the husband of Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India and daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sansad Bhavan, The Parliament of India The Parliament of India (or Sansad) is bicameral. ...

Early life

Sanjay, along with his elder brother Rajiv Gandhi, studied at The Doon School, as well as in England. Sanjay never attended college, but took up an apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce. He was very interested in sports cars, and he also obtained a pilot's license. While his brother Rajiv was building a career as an airline pilot independent of politics, Sanjay chose to remain close to his mother, Indira. Rājiv Ratna GāndhÄ« (DevanāgarÄ«: राजीव रत्न गान्धी, IPA: ) (August 20, 1944 – May 21, 1991), the eldest son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi, was the 9th Prime Minister of India (and the 3rd from the Gandhi family) from his mothers death on 31 October 1984 until his resignation on December... The Doon School is one of the most prestigious public school and boarding school located in Dehra Dun, India. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... Rolls-Royce Limited was a British car and aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls on 15 March 1906 and was the result of a partnership formed in 1904. ...

Maruti Udyog controversy

In 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's Cabinet proposed the production of a "people's car" - a cheap, affordable and efficient indigenous machine that middle-class citizens could afford. While Sanjay had no experience, design proposal or tie-ins with any corporation, he was awarded the contract and the exclusive production license. The criticism that followed this decision was mostly directed at Indira, but the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and victory over Pakistan drowned out the issue. India's victory and subsequent Congress landslide in the elections only left Indira Gandhi more powerful. Maruti Udyog, today India's premier automobile manufacturing corporation, was founded by Sanjay Gandhi, but the company did not produce any vehicles during his lifetime. A test model put out as a showpiece of progress was criticized. Public perception turned against Sanjay, and many began to speculate of growing corruption. Maruti Udyog Limited is a publicly listed company in India. ... Combatants Mukti Bahini India Aided By  Soviet Union Pakistan Aided By United States People’s Republic of China Commanders • General M A G Osmani • General Jagjit Singh Aurora • General Sam Manekshaw • General A. A. K. Niazi • General Tikka Khan Strength India: 500,000+ Mukti Bahini: 100,000[1][2] Pakistan... Maruti Udyog Limited is a publicly listed company in India. ...

Alleged role during Emergency

See also: Indian Emergency

In 1974, the opposition-led protests and strikes had caused a widespread disturbance in many parts of the country and badly affected the government and the economy. Prime Minister Gandhi declared a national emergency, enforced martial law, delayed elections, censored the press and suspended some constitutional freedoms in the name of national security. Non-Congress governments throughout the country were dismissed. Thousands of people, including several freedom fighters like Jaya Prakash Narayan and Jivatram Kripalani who were against the Emergency were arrested. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Freedom fighter is a relativistic local term for those engaged in rebellion against an established organization that is thought to be oppressive. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Jayaprakash Narayan. ... Jivatram Kripalani, also referred to with the prefix Acharya (Teacher: Hindi), was an Indian freedom fighter and political leader, who became a nationwide leader of the Janata Party revolt against the Indian Emergency. ...

In the extremely hostile political environment just before and soon after the Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi rose in importance as Indira's advisor. With the defections of former loyalists, Sanjay's influence with Indira and the government increased dramatically, although he was never in an official or elected position.

Involvement in politics and government

It has been suggested that Sanjay's influence with his mother helped to ensure that the Emergency was declared and it is clear that Sanjay only increased his power with the Emergency (1975-1977). Although he had not been elected and held no office, Sanjay began exercising his new-found influence with Cabinet ministers, high-level government officers and police officers. While many Cabinet ministers and officials resigned in protest, Sanjay reportedly appointed their successors.

In one famous example, Inder Kumar Gujral, the future Prime Minister, resigned from the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting when Sanjay attempted to direct the affairs of his ministry and give him orders. Gujral is reported to have angrily rebuked Sanjay and refused to take orders from an unelected person. Inder Kumar Gujral (Hindi: ) (born 4 December 1919) was the twelfth Prime Minister of the Republic of India. ...

Jama Masjid slum and Family planning controversies

In 1976, Sanjay Gandhi launched a drive to cleanse the city of slums and force their residents to leave the capital. Sanjay reportedly ordered officials of the Delhi Development Authority, headed by his associate Jagmohan, to clear the heavily populated, mostly Muslim slum, near the Turkmen Gate and Jama Masjid in Delhi, forcibly destroying thousands of ramshackle ugly huts, and in the process causing injury to a some people^[1]. Jag Mohan is a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir in India. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... The Jama Masjid is a mosque near Crawford Market in the South Mumbai region of Mumbai, India. ... , Delhi (Hindi: , Urdu: , Punjabi: ), sometimes referred to as Dilli, is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. ...

Sanjay also publicly initiated a widespread family planning program, his "vision" for a contained population growth and a nation without crowding. But this resulted in government officials and police officers forcibly performing vasectomies and in some cases, sterilizing women as well. Officially, men with two children or more had to voluntarily submit to this, but many unmarried young men, political opponents and ignorant, poor men were also believed to have been sterilized. This program is still remembered and criticized in India, and is blamed for creating a public aversion to family planning, which hampered Government programmes for decades. Oral contraceptives. ...

1977-1980: disgrace and return

See also: Janata Party

Prime Minister Gandhi opted for fresh elections in 1977 (one year overdue), released her opponents and ended the emergency. But when she and her Congress Party was defeated in a massive landslide by the Janata Party coalition, Sanjay recommended a re-imposition of Emergency which Gandhi decided against. The new Janata Government promptly appointed tribunals to look into Emergency abuses. As Home Minister, Charan Singh ordered the arrest of Indira and Sanjay. Newspapers published reports of Sanjay's alleged abuses: vasectomies, tortures, murders and graft. The Janata Party (Peoples Party in Hindi) was an Indian political party that contested the Indian Emergency (1975-77) and became the first political party to defeat the Indian National Congress in the 1977 elections, forming the national government from 1977 to 1980. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... The Janata Party (Peoples Party in Hindi) was an Indian political party that contested the Indian Emergency (1975-77) and became the first political party to defeat the Indian National Congress in the 1977 elections, forming the national government from 1977 to 1980. ... Charan Singh could mean Choudhary Charan Singh, the former prime minister of India or Charan Singh (guru), the late Charan Singh of Radhasoami Satsang Beas. ...

Over time, the arrest of Indira Gandhi began to be viewed as unfair and they were soon released for lack of evidence. The Janata coalition begin to crumble and the tribunals collapsed. In 1979, Prime Minister Morarji Desai resigned. His successor was Choudhary Charan Singh, who upon failing to secure support from a majority of MPs who had earlier formed the Janata coalition, turned to Indira Gandhi for support. She promised him that support, but a few months later withdrew it, forcing new elections and the end of Janata's time in power. Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (Hindi: ) (February 29, 1896 – April 10, 1995) was an Indian freedom fighter and the first Prime Minister that didnt belong to Indias Congress Party. ... This article is about the Indian Prime Minister. ...

Vigorously attacking the confusion in the years of the crumbling Janata government, Indira exploited her heroine-Goddess image of the 1971 war and the tough ruler of the early Emergency years. She tactfully apologized for "mistakes" during Emergency, and made allies out of key political foes. In January of 1980, Indira and her Congress (I) Party returned to power in a landslide. Sanjay was elected to a parliamentary seat from Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh. Combatants India Pakistan Commanders Sam Manekshaw J.S. Aurora A. A. K. Niazi # Strength 500,000+ troops 400,000+ troops Casualties 3,843 killed[1] 9,851 wounded[1] c. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Amethi is a place in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, in the south-western part of Sultanpur. ... , Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: , translation: Northern Province, IPA: ,  ), often referred to as U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. ...

Personal life and family

It has been controversially suggested that Sanjay exercised a deep emotional control over his mother, which was often misused. Some, including Khushwant Singh, have claimed that he tapped his widowed mother's apparent loneliness to build his influence and control over political affairs and national policy. Sanjay Gandhi had married a young Punjabi woman, Maneka Gandhi. They had a tumultuous marriage and allegations of Sanjay's infidelities are reportedly documented. The marriage endured, however, and they had a son, Varun Gandhi. Khushwant Singh , born on 2 February 1915 in Punjab (Hadali, now a part of Pakistan) is one of the most prominent novelists and journalists of India. ... Maneka Gandhi (born 26 August 1956) is an Indian politician, an ardent animal rights activist, and a former journalist. ... Varun Gandhi (born March 13, 1980) is the only son of the late Sanjay Gandhi and Indian Politician Maneka Gandhi. ...

Sanjay's relationship with his elder brother was especially worse, as Rajiv was deeply affected by his mother's situation after her political defeat in 1977. According to accounts provided in Frank's biography of Indira, Rajiv directly blamed Sanjay for her condition, affirming his destructive influence upon his mother and the government.

Death

Sanjay Gandhi died in an air crash on June 23, 1980 near Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi. He was flying a new aircraft of the Delhi Flying club, and while performing a loop over his Office, lost control and crashed. The co-pilot was also killed in the crash. June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Safdarjung Airport is an airport in Delhi, India and is home to the Safdarjung Flying Club. ... , This article is about the urban region that is the capital of India. ...

References